As an estate planning attorney, I have worked with many clients who do not know what a Power of Attorney is, and why they should execute one as part of their estate planning documents. In this post, I am happy to explain the ins and outs of this important document, and why it’s necessary to any estate plan, for those of all ages. I’ll also explain the difference between a financial Power of Attorney and a medical Power of Attorney.

Change is inevitable. As your parents age, you often become their strongest support system. But for many adult children, this may be the one challenge you’re not quite ready for! When caring for aging parents, it usually becomes necessary to have a talk with your loved ones regarding matters of change, such as senior living and long-term care options, legal documentation, and financial decisions. Before any adult child can have this talk, it is important to come to terms with the health changes of your loved and evaluate how these changes will affect the rest of the family.

Even the most routine daily tasks can become a challenge for aging parents because of impaired fine motor skills and declining cognitive abilities. By implementing strategies around the home, such as mobility devices and memory aids, you can help your loved one transition through these changes while promoting optimal quality of life.

Balancing the responsibilities of work, finances, family life, and caring for an aging loved one can leave many caregivers feeling stressed and in need of support. It is no secret that finding balance in one’s life can be difficult if you are coordinating care for a loved one. Driving to doctor’s appointments, filling prescriptions, planning and preparing meals, and assisting with household chores are only some of the many items on any caregiver’s to-do list.

How often do you hear inspiring words about aging in our fast-paced, modern world? So much about our culture is focused on youthfulness, it would seem that we hardly stop to think about the wisdom that comes with many years lived on this earth. Here are a few witty, practical, and engaging quotes that celebrate healthy aging and provoke thought. Because, after all, “Age is only a matter of mind, and if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

At some point your aging loved one is probably going to need more care than you can provide as their caregiver. You may need to make a decision to hire a caregiver for your loved one or explore some senior living options together. It is important to consider the cost and benefits of both options before ruling out any of the options. Here is a quick summary to help get you started: The cost- benefits of these senior care services are detailed here:

Caring for a Loved One with Depression By: Jim Stinson, Director of Spiritual Life for United Methodist Homes The Reality of Aging In her mid-eighties, not given to morose thoughts and always life affirming, my mother startled me one day with her comment. She said, “I know more people up there than I do down here.” She gestured toward the sky as she said “up there” and toward the ground as she said “down here” making sure I got the point she wanted to make. Now while I could argue with her cosmology about the location of heaven, I could not argue with her observation. The fact was she had outlived most of her family of origin; and she had outlived most of her friends. Indeed her life had changed dramatically over the previous decade. Her friends were dying with increasing frequency, as were her children and their spouses. She was speaking to a reality of aging. If we live long enough we inevitably watch many of our loved ones and friends die. “Angry Old Ladies” and “Cranky Old Men” This fact can, and often does lead to depression, an often overlooked and under diagnosed illness, among the aging. When it is overlooked and under diagnosed we are often confronted with older adults who exhibit behaviors we would recognize more readily in younger people. We meet “angry old ladies,” “cranky old men,” older adults who “just sit home and do nothing,” mothers and fathers who “do nothing to help themselves,” and so on. When we deal with these people we discover how difficult it is to care for them. In fact we often tell ourselves “there is no talking to them, they just don’t want to be different,” and other self-protecting reasons not to try.

As your parents and other loved ones age into their senior years, the time will come when they can no longer live on their own and complete everyday tasks without some assistance. There are many questions that arise during this time and a variety of options for families to consider. Who will take care of your loved one? Should they continue to live at home? Would a move to an assisted or independent living community be a good decision? Handling the changes that come during this season of life can be a bit overwhelming for any caregiver.

If you and your aging loved one are beginning to think about making a move to a senior living community, you have probably thought about the financial resources you will need for this investment. Most families have many questions about funding when they are searching for an assisted living community. How much will a monthly apartment rental cost? What is included? How much will additional care services cost? Are assisted living services included in the monthly rental or is there a separate fee? When touring an assisted living community, a senior living advisor can answer these questions and simplify the details of evaluating cost.

August 21, 2013 is National Senior Citizen’s Day! This is a time to give special recognition to a remarkable group – our nation’s seniors-- who represent the fastest growing demographic in the world. Who Is A Senior Citizen?

Imagine you walked into your mom’s assisted living community and noticed she bought a new outfit from a catalog. Has your first response ever sounded anything like this: “Stop wasting your money, Mom; haven’t I asked you to stop buying things you don’t need?”